Lancs firm WEC Group launches recruitment drive after landing £6m Airbus contract

Engineering and fabrication company WEC Group Ltd is embarking on a major recruitment drive after landing a £6m aerospace order for an Airbus assembly plant in Germany.

The Darwen-headquartered company currently has more than 40 jobs available across its bases in Lancashire, Merseyside, Yorkshire and the West Midlands.

WEC said the contract, which will span 18 months, will provide a major boost for its operations.

The firm has been involved in the aerospace industry for a number of years, supplying jigs and fixtures on a subcontract basis for aeroplane assembly factories across the world. Today, WEC employs more than 150 welders.

The past few years have seen the firm invest heavily in robotic welding and heavy machining technology to enhance manufacturing speed, accuracy and repeatability. In the last 12 months alone, the business has invested more than £11m.

WEC engineering sales manager Glyn Jones, who will oversee the project, said: “We won this work based on our extensive range of state-of- the-art technology and our commitment to quality.

“The new contract will enable us to continue building our order book in the aviation, space and defence industries.”

Stephen Fitzpatrick, WEC machining director, commented: “Achieving the new AS9100 certification for WEC Machining and winning this new contract is a great step forward for the company.

“We have identified key areas as part of our ambitious growth strategy, and aerospace is a sector where we can now make great progress as we are ideally located in the centre of the North’s aerospace manufacturing hub.”